CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the 20th year in a row, Native Americans and supporters will protest the use of the Cleveland Indians team name and the club's Chief Wahoo logo at early season home baseball games.

The displays have become something of a tradition at the first games of the season as protesters try to gather support for their position. (See a Storify summary below of the logo issue here and in other American cities.)

Ferne Clements, of the 500 Years committee, said the protests have been effective, if only to make people aware of the problem.

"Colleges and high schools around the country have done the right thing and dropped names of sports teams that are demeaning to indigenous people," she said. "We want our hometown team to do the same. We're not just being politically correct here, this is morally wrong."

Most of the people attending the early games walk by the group with little acknowledgment. Some shout abusive comments at the protesters.

"The younger fans with a few beers in them get vocal," she said. "We're noticing that some lower their heads when they pass by. They know it's wrong and feel ashamed."

Bob DiBiasio, spokesman for the Cleveland Indians, said he respects the opinions of Native Americans.

"We truly believe it is an individual perception issue," he said. "When people look at our logo, we believe they think baseball. We have added a logo, the block C, recently in addition to the Wahoo logo and the script 'Indians'. Fans of the team have alternative ways to express their support."

The director of the Cleveland American Indian Movement, who goes only by the name "Sundance," said Native Americans have been protesting the ball club's name and mascot since the original AIM was formed in 1973. There have been several changes to the American Indian Movement in Cleveland since it began.

"This behavior is exploitative, bigoted, racist and shameful," Sundance said. "It makes fun of genocide and mocks mass murder. The logo is just the head of an Indian. That means he is an ex-Indian. This has been going on for more than 50 years. I hope it does not continue for another 50."

He said the group has a "rudimentary speaking relationship" with the team, but there are no negotiations going on to replace the name or the logo.

Former Cleveland-area resident Sherrie Noble, now in Quincy, Mass., continues to battle against Wahoo and similar names, logos and mascots in sports.

"Chief Wahoo is a cartoon caricature, demeaning and silly, and should have no place in a city with the long and proud history of Cleveland. It is time for a modern, honorable and positive team identity," she said.

The Committee of 500 Years of Dignity and Resistance organized in 1991, the 500th anniversary of Columbus Day, to "educate the public on the truth about Columbus" and his role in the treatment of Native Americans.